Page 16 - Keeping the Peace

10 Keeping the Peace – A History of Honorary Justices in Victoria
World War One
Disquiet regarding local influences gave way to greater political concern as the hostilities of World War One led to many men electing to defend their country. The exceptional circumstances of men leaving to defend their country meant that consideration was given to allowing JPs to be appointed members of the Auxiliary Police Force formed during war-time. However, the Attorney-General, the Honorable W M Hughes decided that JPs judicial duties needed to remain distinct from police powers to apprehend or arrest and therefore they could not be appointed as members of the Auxiliary Police Force.15
Loyalty to the English empire ran high. ‘The Justice of the Peace’ reported on the attempts of the New South Wales HJ Association to persuade the Solicitor-General to remove the Commission of Keepers of the Peace from men of German birth.16 The newsletter notes with sadness the losses of JPs on the fields of Gallipoli, France, and elsewhere in its 7 December 1916, War Roll of Honour, ‘Australia’s noble sons’.
Return to peace
After the fighting in Europe ceased, there was a return to the on-going tasks of keeping the peace at home. The first version of A Justices’ Handbook, released by the HJs Association in 1919, outlines some of the varied functions of the JP, offering a window into the concerns of Victorian legislators during this period:17
Maurice Smith, front, son of Corporal Issy Smith. Corporal Smith was awarded the Victoria Cross medal for bravery after his heroic actions during the 2nd Battle of Ypres, 26 April 1915. On this day he carried several wounded men to safety in the midst of heavy machine gun and rifle fire. After the war he returned to Melbourne and was appointed
a Justice of the Peace in 1930.
Australian War Memorial (am.gov.au/collection/044296)
15 16 17
‘The Justice of the Peace’, 15 August 1953, p. 2. ‘The Justice of the Peace’, 7 June 1917, p. 9.
A Justices Handbook, issued by the Honorable HJs’ Association of Victoria, compiled by T B Wade and A W Dixon, McBean and Sons, Melbourne, 1919.